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Friday, February 29, 2008

Thanks for the sweet comments on Yellow Chickadee! You can view the auction HERE. Sorry for leaving that part off. I'm not the best self-promoter, ya think? The other girls' Cute as a Button items can be seen HERE. There are SO many adorable things!

I often feel so far removed from the rest of the world. My life is a series of compromises. I like to think of them in terms of groceries.

If I have to buy these...we only have these...

But if no one needs shoes, clothes, or a visit to the dentist, then we have this

and this

and this.

(**NOTE: This is a good grocery month. The kids are very excited about the snack offerings currently available in the kitchen.)

Sometimes I read blogs and think...WOW. I must be living in an alternate universe.

But, I just did my taxes. One of the perks of being "Head of the Household" is that tax time is actually fun! I always end up with a nice surprise at the end. The grown up who lives in my head thinks it should probably go towards paying off my student loan.

The rest of me thinks it should do what it always does and spend it on this:

Trips with mom months are ever bit as wonderful as good grocery months. Don't you think?

Friday, February 22, 2008

Where did the week go?? Sheesh. Today I discovered my blogland friend Heidi has been sweet enough to award me with the You Make My Day Award!

Now, technically this is a bribe, pure and simple. :P But I love her blog & I love getting awards so I'm overlooking her sneaky ways. And...you might find some more digital goodies at the end of this post.

Also...I get to award this sweet bloggie award to 10 of my faves! It's hard to pick just 10. I can spend 2 solid hours perusing blogland these days! But here are some of my favorites:

1. Shannon: She does the most amazing smocked clothing for her little girl, is smart & funny & beautiful, a mother of 5 (!), AND she's a scifi geeky author-wannabe too. What's not to like?2. Debbie: My bosom buddy. And when I say bosom, what I really mean is I always defer to her when it comes to a full bust alteration. :D3. Lindsay: An amazing crochet designer. My hand cramps just looking at her pretties.4. Angie: I'm jealous of her willpower and her little holiday place by the sea. But I sure do love to peek at her blog!5. Katarina: Holy Cow is what you'll be saying after you see the amazing things coming out of Katarina's sewing room!6. Heather: Pretty papery goodness. And some graphic yummy too.7. Rachelle: A new blogger friend who also cracks me up. (Anyone see a theme here?) I can't wait to see her "Pink Abomination" when its finished! And blue!8. Ree: Have about a month to sit down and read ALL of Ree's posts. She is HYSTERICAL and her blog novella "Black heels to Tractor Wheels" is a hoot!9. Lil D: Who stitches, doodles & crafts right along with me. We're often thinking or doing the same type of project without planning it.10. Mamafitz: Sew-er extradoinaire! & knitter too...Why don't I knit?

Whew. That's quite a list! Go forth & visit!

And for Heidi...who always makes my bloggie day, here are a matched set of cord buttons & shiny bling flowers. I made these with scans & photos of the real thing, then recolored, cropped where necessary, & added some sparkle. Perfect for your Photoshop or Paintshop Pro creative juices! All 6 are transparent PNGs, so just plop them down wherever on your graphics & photos & resize as needed!

Sunday, February 17, 2008

I'm joining the ebay strike this week! I'm actually very excited about making a go of Etsy as a selling venue. I've had an etsy shop for almost 2 years, but to be honest I haven't made a big effort there. That's about to change! I like the set up, I like the nominal fee, I like the indie designer feel there.

So...here ya go! A peek at two pretties I stocked my etsy store with today!

A fellow etsy seller's husband is missing. Please, if you live in the Seattle or surrounding areas, take a minute to view his picture & visit the links below.

Details about the Search:

Nicholas Francisco has been missing since Wednesday, February 13th at 6:00pm.His car is a 92 toyota paseo red hatchback, license # 601RHX. He was last seen wearing light blue/off white button down shirt, plain black jacket and blue jeans. He’s about 6 feet tall and 28 years old. He was leaving work on lower Queen Anne and headed south toward Southcenter/SeaTac area. Please call 911 with any info.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

It was absolutely beautiful outside today so Lu & I headed out with the camera and the new custom set for a few pictures. This child is gorgeous. Can I say that even if she's mine? :P

We were just practicing, but I might actually use a couple of these because they're beautiful. I wish it had been warmer and we could have really gotten cooking! No other sewing news today I'm afraid. Too much interesting (read: mind numbing) tv viewing to do.

Friday, February 08, 2008

Phew. I was really afraid I'd end up as Baltar! (the rest of you can tune this out for a second) Shannon!!! There's a possibly that Scifi/NBC/Universal won't pay for the rest of Season 4 because of the writer's strike!!! And what they've shot (the first 10 eps) ends on a big cliffhanger of some sort. We could SERIOUSLY get stuck there foreverafter!!! AGGHHH!!!! (ok now the rest of you can pay attention again.)

In Wardrobe Contest news...I have the knit top cut out and the wide leg capri's cut out as well! I didn't get a chance to work on them today because I was working on this:

Just a peek at a set for the "Cute as a Button" launch with my new ebay boutique group, theChicks. This bunch of girls is SOO much fun!! I've had a ball this week getting to know all of them!

The set features this little halter top, along with a pair of embellished denim capri's, which are almost finished. They are seriously awesome. I promise I'll show you the finished product!

Monday, February 04, 2008

I'm hungry. Dang that other Angie and her willpower for healthier eating. I've been trying to pick up her habit and watch what I eat more than usual. Since I was sick in the fall I've had this weird thing going on with my feet...peripheral neuropathy. Which can bean indicator of kidney disease, but in my case is probably not, thank goodness! What it might be instead is a warning sign for diabetes.

My grandmother and aunt both had type II diabetes, so I have a fairly high family risk. With my weight gain about 5 years ago, I increased the likelihood of developing this completely preventable diesease. I'd like to nip this in the bud hasta pronto! So I'm trying to eat healthier.

In the meantime, I've been working on my Wardrobe Storyboard for the PR Wardrobe Contest. Fun! Here's a peek at what I've got so far! Click the picture for a better look!

And I didn't purposefully channel PR's Gillian either...it just occurred to me after I had the storyboard finished that all my pieces sure did remind me of my favorite candy.

Mmmmm, Strawberry Twizzlers.

Now it's on to sewing! Except that I have parent/teacher conferences two nights this week...but a 3-day weekend to sew! Woohoo!

Saturday, February 02, 2008

We will take a moment from your regularly scheduled blogging to give you this special rant announcement. (Sorry Shan, I need one more vent. Then I'm quitting cold turkey. hee.)

I recently got fairly annoyed by a somewhat popular pattern company's newsletter. Now, normally I delete the newsletters without reading them because, you know, I'm sewing or something and because to be honest their writing style is irritatingly "I'm trying so hard to be fresh!"

But I read this one and was more irritated than usual at their closing paragraphs, which consisted of a variety of things you should NEVER wear because, well, they said so.

Now I have a problem with lectures in general because I'm 37 and I'm the dictator in my life thankyouverymuch. I've (thankfully) reached the age and maturity where I have developed my own personal style & flair, and I don't really need anyone else's approval. Fashion "rules" be damned.

Among the things they listed (several of which we ALL wear. Yes, you do.) was a rule that must never be broken...prints on your bottom half. Um, ok. Where have you been for the past, oh, forever??

One of my favorite things to wear are prints! Big, loud ones! Amy Butler BIG! And in homage to that great fabric designer of the Midwest (an American, by the way) I bring you peeks from her book "Midwest Modern", a fabulous collection dedicated to her fabrics, her style and incorporating your own unique sense of fashion into your life. (And not one lecture to be had in the entire book. How refreshing.)

Cute loungy pants (bottom left)...

Really, really cute loungy pants...I'd totally wear these to the grocery store! How cute would they be in a capri or cropped length?

I've worn these everywhere and I can honestly say this is the only piece of clothing I have ever made that I get stopped for inquiries on where to get them. They're that good. I've actually handed out business cards because people ask me to make them a pair of these pants. Apparently my a$ looks fine in big-a$ prints.

I sent an email to HP (the pattern company) and said, you know, I coulda lived without the condescension. Let's just celebrate fashion and not impose one another's "rules" on each other. K? Their response? They sent me the "Mom Jeans" youtube video. Apparently if you don't agree with them, you're obviously a fashion disaster (and a moron to boot if they honestly think someone would continue shopping with them after that.)

So, in the words of the incomparable Coco Chanel...“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”

And by that, I'm pretty sure she meant "Work those loud pants, girlfriend!"